I Want Out
by malko050987
Summary: One has decided not to be used anymore. The other has no more use. Now, both sides want to catch them. But really, how do you catch two of the best duelists alive? HarryBellatrix, Postseventh year. Some HBP major events will be included, some won't.
1. Chapter 1

**I Want Out**

by malko050987

**Chapter One**

Disclaimer: I did not, do not, and will not own Harry Potter. That's a good thing, too.

A/N: I'm aiming for this to be a Harry/Bellatrix story, so if this isn't your thing don't read. Might not get to an actual relationship, but they'll become close. And do note that Harry will have precious few allies in this fic. And it won't be a nice fic if you like most characters of the book. The fic starts at the end of what would have been Harry's seventh year at Hogwarts. If I include HBP elements, you'll see them.

A/N2: Cheers to LunaMoon224 and Konrad for the good beta job they did on this.

--

Bellatrix Lestrange, nee Black, shuddered as she felt her master's call. With frantic gestures, she threw on a black robe and cloak and stumbled to her lord's chambers. She paused in front of the door to catch her breath, and slowly entered.

The room was not that large, but the almost complete darkness made it seem larger. The only light source came from the large armchair occupied by Lord Voldemort. A candle with a fluttering flame rested in a tall silver candlestick that was worn by the years. Molten wax ran in a stream down to the floor, gathering in an ever-growing mound of wax. It always reminded Bellatrix of something growing in a cave.

"My Lord, you summoned me?" she asked. She knelt in front of him and kissed the hem of his robes.

For a few moments, the Dark Lord looked at her dispassionately, before his thin lips curled in a sneer. "Yes, Bellatrix. It has come to my attention that since your unfortunate encounter with the Potter boy you have been... different."

Bellatrix bowed her head, her forehead almost touching the dirty floor. "I am sorry - My Lord. I-"

"Silence!" the Dark Lord thundered. "I do not know what the boy has done to you, but I will find out." Before Bellatrix had any chance to react or reinforce her mental shields, the Dark Lord battered through them and was rifling through her memories of Potter.

She whimpered and curled into a ball as he reached the memory that had forever changed her life.

_Bellatrix sent a purple hex towards the cloaked figure in front of her and grinned in mad satisfaction as it burst into flame and fell to the ground. The screams stopped after a few seconds, her victim's throat having been burnt away. _

_Dodging a hex coming from her right, she sent a few stunners back. She wished the Master hadn't ordered that Potter be left as unharmed as possible. She had to find out if the opponent was Potter before killing them. It was a change from her usual method of kill first, see who later. _

_Occasionally, when there was a lull in the cursing, she'd Crucio a random opponent, reveling in the sounds of the screams. She was doing that now, the girl emitting a high, uninterrupted shriek as the curse worked its way through her veins. Bellatrix focused on intensifying the curse when a Reducto hit the ground close to her and she was thrown several meters away._

"_Avada Kedavra!" she snarled. Nobody did that to her! Nobody! She didn't check who her opponent was, she just sent deadly curse after deadly curse, wishing for its death with her every breath. _

_To her frustration and mounting anger, all her curses were deflected or avoided. The figure she was fighting was obscured by the destruction her curses had created. For a moment, she paused to wonder if it could be Potter - it couldn't be, there was no way a mere boy would be able to stand up to her like that. _

_As her opponent paused, she pressed her advantage and gave chase. The figure - clad in a Quidditch leather suit that was ripped in a few places and stained from the fight - climbed up a flight of stairs, taking cover behind a statue of a wizard that sputtered indignantly before Bellatrix's spell turned it into small pieces. _

"_Stupefy, Stupefy, Stupefy, Expecto Patronum, Stupefy, Impedimenta, Incarcerous, Stupefy!"_

_The string of words seemed almost to blend together as several beams of light streamed towards her, hidden by a blinding white stag. She put up a shield that took the brunt of the magic, letting only part of the last curse through. Through the red haze of anger that had taken control of her, she could see two bright green eyes filled with hate glance at her before the figure turned and sprinted away into the large room. _

_A few seconds later, the last vestiges of the curse were gone and she continued in her pursuit of Potter. She knew it was him now. And she wanted him dead. Nobody had bested her in a duel in a very long time, and she would make sure that it remained that way._

_Snarling curse after curse, she ran into the room - straight into the full body bind that Potter sent. Frozen on the spot, she couldn't see where he was, but she could hear his footsteps coming closer. From behind her, he leaned over and took her wand from her hands, snapping it in two before coming to face her. _

_For a brief moment, Bellatrix wished looks could kill, so she could turn Potter into a corpse. He smirked at her, the spark of hate dancing in his eyes. For the first time in her life, Bellatrix felt fear of something else than the Master. Potter seemed to notice that, because his smirk grew wider._

"_I could kill you so easily... I could, too," he hissed, leaning close so he could look in her eyes. His green eyes were almost glowing in the dim room of the Ministry of Magic, capturing her gaze, delving deep inside her, trapping her. _

_Before she had any idea what was happening, she felt something in her mind. Her Occlumency shields were up in an instant and she summoned all her hate for him, glaring daggers at the boy, who was now sporting a full blown vengeful sneer. _

"_Farewell, Bella. I daresay you will not appreciate my parting gift." _

_With that, he had turned on his heel, vanishing with an almost inaudible pop. _

He'd been right. She hated whatever he had done to her mind. No amount of Occlumency rituals, no matter what kind of rituals she did, she could not silence the voice nagging her, the pain growing in her chest. At night, she trashed in her bed, living nightmares that were not hers, feeling emotions that belonged to others. She would scream herself hoarse in her dreams, pleading for the pain to end, for the torment to cease.

But nothing helped. And it was affecting her behavior, her personality. Where she would have sent a Killing Curse with a gleeful cackle, she could now barely cast the Crucio. She had lost some weight, although potions kept her health and physical condition. Nothing helped her mental conditions though, and it appeared the Dark Lord had grown tired of waiting for whatever curse Potter had hit her with to pass.

The Dark Lord eyed the woman curled into a shivering, whimpering ball with disgust. One of his best Death Eaters, reduced to this by a mere boy.

"Bellatrix," he said in a tone betraying his contempt, "what am I to do with you? What does a man do when his most favored pet becomes a liability? What does the smith do when his best anvil becomes cracked?"

"I- my Lord, please- I-"

"Silence!"

Bellatrix forced her body to obey her mind and stopped pleading, bowing her head in a gesture of submission. She had feared such a day. A day when the Master would not consider her useful anymore, and would cast her out. She would be cast away now, never to be spoken of, never to be remembered. Perhaps one of the Death Eaters would give her sanctuary for a few days, before she could leave the continent. She would not be allowed back in the wizarding world, she knew that. The Light side hunted her, the Dark side would shun her.

"What the man does, is dispose of it. We cannot afford weak links in our chain, Bella." With that, he nodded to one of the hooded figures. "Make an example out of her. She disobeyed my order, and I want her punished for it."

Bellatrix froze in horror as Crabbe easily picked her from the ground and swung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The man bowed, his burden making it awkward, before exiting the room and heading for a place outside the ward from where he could Apparate out. On the way, a blow to the head made Bellatrix lose consciousness.

--

When she woke up, she was surrounded by complete darkness and her shoulders were numb. After a brief struggle, she discovered that she was suspended by her arms, and her feet didn't reach the floor. She was also completely naked, but so far, there were no signs of any abuse, except for her blinding headache that emerged from a point on the back of her head.

Knowing from experience that screaming would be useless, she tried to relax her arms as much as possible and prepare herself for what she was certain was coming. Crabbe was a simple person, something she had taken advantage of on many occasions. He would obey the Master's -- no, Voldemort's orders to the letter, causing her so much pain she would beg for the release of death, and then he would bring her back to their master, who would dispose of her. All senior Death Eaters had done something similar on an occasion or another, and despite being one of the least intelligent followers, Crabbe was a master of pain.

She sighed heavily, and contemplated pulling on one of the manacles holding her hands. She knew it was useless, they were ancient, and were charmed against all possible means of escape. The most she would manage would be to cut her wrist, and the charms on the iron manacle would prevent her from bleeding to death.

She started counting out loud as she waited for her torturer to come. A particularly deranged prisoner had the habit of doing that during her time in Azkaban, and it had always made her incredibly mad. Hopefully Crabbe was listening and if he got angry, would finish faster.

"One!"

_Why do I welcome death?_

"Two!"

_Because I have no alternative._

"Three!"

_I was given _no_ alternative!_

"Four!"

_Perhaps I could escape?_

"Five!"

_It's impossible to escape from here._

"Six!"

_Nothing is impossible. _

"Seven!"

_What will I do then?_

"Eight!"

_Take revenge!_

"Nine!"

_I can't fight them. _

"Ten!"

_Maybe I could join the Light? _

"Eleven!"

_Never. They would kill me on sight anyway. _

"Twe-"

"Silencio! Shut yer trap, ye bitch!"

The door had opened, spilling light on the floor of the cell. It was packed earth, stained with the remains of countless hours of pain. Crabbe swayed into the room, still keeping his wand pointed at her. In his left hand he had a tall candlestick that he set on the floor before walking to her. He jabbed his wand painfully in her stomach and leaned so he could whisper to her.

"Th' Master said t' me t' make ye hurt." His breath smelled strongly of Firewiskey, and she fought the impulse to retch.

He straightened up, using the wand propped in her stomach as a lever point, making her hiss in pain. Once satisfied with his verticality, he waved his wand at the door and locked it with a minor locking charm.

A second wave made her fall to the ground, though she was still chained. The chains had simple been lengthened. She glared at him while standing up, refusing to show any weakness. He licked his lips as his eyes traveled all over her body, making her want to turn around, to hide.

She was not a shy person, and her years in Azkaban had gone a far distance in assuring that, but only her husband had ever looked at her like that. Only her husband had ever touched her in that way. She knew that he had had his mistresses, and she hadn't felt hurt by it. It was part of the pure-blood tradition.

And rape was part of torture. Destroy the mind, and the body will soon follow.

She flinched as he raised his wand, only to gape as the manacles fell off. With hasty movements, and never taking his eyes off her, Crabbe disposed of his robes, throwing them in a corner of the darkened cell.

As the light from the candle threw shadows across the small cell, making it look like a grotesque dance, Bellatrix started to move. She had learned to kill at a young age, and had taken to it with pleasure. There was nothing so exhilarating as the power of death over others, seeing the light fade in their eyes as the blood poured on the ground.

She pounced forward, hands first, hitting the man on his temples. The effect was instantaneous. He blinked and crashed to the ground, dead before his head touched down. Bellatrix took his wand, shrunk his robes a bit before putting them on and unlocking the cell door. Cautiously, she made her way outside the familiar mansion and Apparated once she was out of the wards. She wanted to leave Britain. It wasn't safe for her anymore, what with both sides out for her blood. She didn't go south, towards France, as everybody would be looking for her there. Instead, she went north, towards Northern Ireland. Once she was there she would be able to decide what else she could do.

With a pop, she arrived at the docks. Despite the very late hour, they were bustling with activity. Cargoes were being loaded, cargoes were being unloaded. All around here, people were yelling, calling out names of ships or talking with the other workers.

She ignored the talking people and headed for the side of the docks that housed the smaller, passenger carriers. Others were wearing large cloaks for protection against the cold mists that haunted the docks at night, and the frequent rains, so nobody paid attention to her robes and pilfered cloak. Only one small craft was lit and open for service, so she climbed on board. A small man with greedy eyes leered at her as she climbed on, but made no other motion than to point at a bench in the front part.

There were already several figures on the bench. She sat next to them, wrapping the cloak closer to her body. A fat, short man with a cigar in his mouth came to them and collected a small fee in money - conjured in Bellatrix's case. After a few more minutes of people yelling and cursing, a movement was felt as the ship's powerful engines roared into life and pushed away from the docks. One of the men on the bench had been sitting down at the same moment, and one of the lights placed above them balanced, bathing him in light for a brief second.

It had been all that Bellatrix needed. She recognized those glasses, and those incredible eyes of his, reminding her of the Killing Curse.

"Potter?" She half-yelled, looking incredulous, Crabbe's wand ready in her hand.

--

A/N: Thanks to reviewer avon for spotting a mistake at the end. It's corrected now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**I Want Out**

by malko050987

**Chapter Two**

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to Jo. A lot of money belong to her, too. I'm poor. The lyrics/song I refer to are from the song "Another sky", performed by Fiddler's Green. Due to regulations, I can't post them here. In the other version of my fic, on other sites including ficwad, wizardtales and hpfandom, the lyrics are there. The only difference is in the first paragraph, and it has no effect whatsoever on the chapter or story overall.

A/N: Thanks to LunaMoon224 for the awesome job she did on this chapter. As always, reviews are appreciated. Many thanks to everybody who has reviews or read my fics.

--

Harry listened to the voice coming from the wireless and sighed tiredly. It fit his mood perfectly. The singer had a slightly raspy voice, and the words weren't yelled, they were almost whispered, and at times Harry had to strain his ears to catch them. He was talking about leaving this world, about finding another sky. The thought of flying towards another sky was deeply appealing to Harry.

Once the song ended, and the announcer started speaking, he jabbed his wand at the wireless and it was silenced. He stood and paced for a few minutes, lost in thought, before throwing himself back on his bed with an angry grumble.

He was in his room at the Burrow. What had been supposed to be his seventh year at Hogwarts had ended a few months ago. He, along with Ron and Hermione, had been working closely with the Order towards defeating Voldemort all year long.

They had been allowed to participate in some battles, especially after Harry had out-dueled Bellatrix Lestrange in a Ministry attack. Yet, in the past month, they had done nothing but have meeting after meeting, and nobody would tell him what they were about. Not the truth, anyway.

He wasn't excluded from most meetings. But every now and then, a number of Order members would gather, and they would have a chat, while somebody kept Harry distracted. Nothing official. Nothing he should concern himself with. Or so they said. Usually, Ron and Hermione didn't participate, but they were now, and Harry had been going mad with boredom for the past half-hour.

"Bloody hell," he eventually exclaimed. "I'm going for a fly," he said to the empty room. He grabbed his broom, and left his room, climbing down the stairs while making a lot of noise to alert people that he was arriving. He didn't want to interrupt something he wasn't supposed to.

He needn't have bothered. The second he was off the stairs, a wave of sound literally hit him. Apparently, the silencing charms didn't cover the landing before the kitchen. He was about to enter the room and pass through it as fast as possible, but a shouted argument brought him short.

"He's the Boy-Who-Lived! It's his bloody destiny!"

Destiny? Why were they talking about him? Stepping carefully, senses alert, Harry crept closer to the door, close enough for a See-Through charm to work on the thin wood of the door. The present members of the order were those closest to Harry. Ron, Hermione, even Ginny. Neville was there as well, as one of the senior members of the DA. Tonks was sitting in Remus' lap in a chair at the table. Occupying several other chairs were Kingsley, McGonagall, Mad-Eye Moody, Bill, and Charlie Weasley. The Weasley parents were seated opposite Remus and Tonks. Fred and George were leaning against the counter. Hermione was in a corner, wringing her hands while looking at a thunderous Ron pacing around the table. Of them all, only Ginny, who was casually perched on the edge of the table, looked vaguely amused.

Everybody was talking, yelling at each other, Ron making the most noise, even while Hermione attempted to hush him.

"I don't care, Hermione! In fact, I wish he were here to hear this! Maybe then he could get it into his head to go out there and bloody end this! It's what he was born to do! I don't care what he does or how he does it, as long as he kills Voldemort!"

"Now listen here, Mr. Weasley-" McGonagall began, but Ron cut her off.

"The prophecy says so!" he bellowed. "He's the only one that can kill You-Know-Who!"

The silence was nearly as deafening as the noise had been. Harry was gaping at the charmed hole in the wall, not comprehending the thought of Ron betraying him like that. Apparently, Hermione was close to that feeling too, because she was pale-faced, and was glaring at Ron.

"Prophecy?" Minerva McGonagall asked, her question echoed by several others.

Throwing a stubborn loch at Hermione, Ron nodded. "The prophecy from the Department of Mysteries. Dumbledore knew it all, and he told Harry. And Harry told us."

"And he told us not to tell anybody!" Hermione hissed, but was ignored.

Harry still couldn't believe that Ron would do such a thing. How could Ron do that to him? His attention focused inwards, he didn't see the way Moody's blue, magical eye suddenly focused on his position. But he did see the red light heading for him, and his shield easily deflected it.

Through the - now very real - hole in the door, he could see Ron's white face, Hermione's tearing eyes, Ginny's 'I'm innocent' smile and the various guilty looks sported by the Order members. Keeping his shield up and his back to the wall, he advanced through the room and stopped at the exit.

"So you're saying that I should go and provoke Voldemort into dueling me, Ron?" he asked mockingly, his anger evident in his voice. His knuckles were white, and his jaw was set in a grim line.

Ron didn't comment, although Harry and Hermione, those closest to him, recognized the look that briefly appeared in his eyes. Harry's eyes hardened and Hermione's tears started falling freely.

"Why would I do that, Ron?"

"Wha-"

"Why would I fight Voldemort? Why should I risk my life?"

"You're -"

"Harry Potter. Not the bloody-Boy-Who-Lived, not a pawn in a chess game, not a doll you can play with."

"I never-"

"Then what was 'that's what he's been born for' mean, Ron? I believe those were your words?" Harry lowered his wand slightly, one eye on Ron, the other on Moody. "Am I just a tool to you? Something you use to get rid of a menace, and then throw away?"

"Harry, mate-" Ron tried, but Harry wasn't listening anymore. In a quick motion, he was on his Firebolt and was speeding away, easily dodging the few curses sent towards him. The shouts weren't that hard to ignore, but his anger was high, too high for him to turn back.

When had Ron begun to think like that? Had he done anything wrong?

_No._

He'd done everything right. He'd been too good. He lowered himself on his broom to minimize wind resistance and accelerated, eyes narrowed to tiny slits. Hot, salty tears started forming themselves in his eyes, as he contemplated the gravity of hat he's just done.

_I can't go back,_ he decided. If he went back, they would take that as a win, and continue to use him.

"I'm not a weapon," he choked out, the words drowned out by the wind and speed. Saying those words brought back memories he'd have preferred to bury.

"_Stupefy, Stupefy, Stupefy," Harry chanted, sending the three spells towards a white masked figure. The shield it put up lasted through one spell, and deflected most of the second, but the third hit true and Harry had one less enemy to worry about._

_He dived under a sickly yellow light and put up a shield to give him time to see his opponent. He made quick work of this one as well, leaving the Death Eater bound with thick ropes. It was his own tactic. He was still barely able to cast non-verbally, with the exception of some spells. Instead, he cast many random, distracting spells, mixing them with stunners and binding spells. It worked on most people, especially since Harry was a powerful magic user, and he was very fast. _

_He was squinting to see through the haze of smoke and spell light when somewhere to his left, somebody screamed. He heard a familiar cackle and a cold weight settled in his stomach. In a flash, he was running there, sending curse after curse. _

_Bellatrix was doing her best to kill him, and he could practically feel her frustration as he deflected her attacks. For a moment, he stopped as he realized that he was dueling the best Death Eater to a standstill. Seeing his hesitation, Bellatrix started running towards him. _

_He ran away from her, diving behind a statue. He sent a stream of hexes her way, managing to hit her with some of them. He felt immensely satisfied with himself for that, and changed his plans a bit. He threw her one last glance before running into the room behind him. He cast several quick spells over his shoulder, and then stopped to one side. The moment Bellatrix entered into the room, casting curse after curse, he petrified her._

_From behind her, he walked towards her, and carefully extracted her wand from her hand. He didn't want her to be armed if she overcame the spell. With a satisfied smirk, he snapped her wand in two pieces. _

_Then he put his plan into motion. He talked to her, distracting her, making her angry, so she couldn't focus her mind. Easily, he slipped among her thoughts, and left a few of his own memories there. He put in the helplessness he had felt after Sirius' death. The feelings he associated with Dumbledore's death. He put his guilt there. _

_It had taken him a long time to work thorough his grief and guilt, and he was certain that such feelings, pushed on Bellatrix, would make her unable to act normally. Carefully, he tied the memories into her subconscious, so she would only be able to feel them, not understand them. "Incubo nis," he cast non-verbally. The few mind spells he knew were the only ones he could accurately cast non-verbally._

_With a smirking salute, he Apparated away._

He had told Ron and Hermione about it, and Ron had been ecstatic.

"_Finally, that b-"_

"_Ron!"_

"_-witch will get what she deserves. I can't believe you were able to beat her in a duel! You must be better than Moody then, and he was the best Auror for decades!"_

_Ron trailed off and looked Pensieve for a moment, and then a wide grin split his face. "I can't wait for the war to end. I'm tired of all the fighting."_

He should have seen it then, but he hadn't. _And now I'm supporting the consequences._

In hindsight, it was clear that from that moment, Ron had slowly replaced Harry with "weapon" in his mind. And he had the rest of the Order convinced of it. He was certain that they were looking for him already, probably blocking all international exit points. If he remained in Britain, they would catch him pretty fast. There were Order informers and members everywhere, thanks to Hermione's organizing.

He thought furiously for a few moments, then decided to drop the broom somewhere, and try to leave the Muggle way. He performed a Point Me charm and headed north. France was too close, and they were probably there already. But if he moved fast enough he might be able to get to Ireland. In their adventures during the year, they had passed through there, but using the magical ferry operated by leprechauns.

He remembered the way to the docks, and he was certain that he's seen passenger ships there as well. If he managed to get there, he might be able to leave Britain.

Flying fast and high, it took him little over and hour to get to the docks in Ireland. He landed with the help of some Muggle-repelling charms and made his way through the throng of people. It was mid-afternoon, and the air was heavy with scents and noise. He was leaning against a large crate when he heard the words "Potter" and he instantly crouched low, ready to bolt.

Through the many passing people, he saw Lupin and Ginny standing at the base of another large crate. Tonks was on the crate, looking around. He quickly turned and walked away, doing his best to blend in with the masses.

_I won't be able to go anywhere with them everywhere,_ he grumbled.

After retrieving his broom, he took to the sky once more and went to London, intent on creating a distraction. _If they all come to London to get me, there won't be anybody left to guard the docks. _

He arrived in London shortly before sunset, and he half-ran through Diagon Alley, entering Gringotts under the disapproving stares of several goblins. He quickly secured a goblin and made a trip to his vault, where he filled a bag with Galleons. He put his broom in a corner, and left the vault.

The trip back was the fastest he had ever made, because it was closing hour and the goblins wanted to close the bank. He still insisted on changing half of his Galleons into pounds, giving the goblin a large tip to mollify him.

The moment he stepped out of the white building, the doors swung shut behind him with a booming noise. He winced as everybody turned to look at him, some of them breaking in whispers, others simply nodding at him in recognition. Most people, however, started walking either towards him or away from him. The rumors of him being the "Chosen One" had grown during the past year, and while some people were willing to let him be, most were either afraid of him or in awe of him.

By the looks of those heading towards him, they were part of those who were in awe of him. He hid a grimace and started walking towards the exit from Diagon Alley, nodding at various strangers, but walking away before anybody got to close to him.

As he was passing Florean's, a familiar voice rang out to him, and he hastened his steps.

"Harry, mate, wait up!"

He clenched his jaw shut, resisting the urge to curse Ron. Before the red-head reached him, he was in the Cauldron, stepping into the green flames.

"Three Broomsticks!" he called, right as Ron burst inside the place.

Immediately upon arrival, he cleared the fireplace and Apparated to the docks, in the place where he had landed before. He didn't waste any time in searching for a passenger ship. There was only one, and it looked like it would be taking them to their graves, not Northern Ireland, but he decided it would do.

He walked on board and took a seat on the indicated bench. He raised his hood enough to keep his hair and scar hidden, and settled better on the narrow bench, preparing for the long trip. He'd have preferred to go by broom, but all magical air traffic was monitored at the Ministry and he did not want to risk alerting Scrimgeour of his departure.

Moments before the ship was ready to sail, a cloaked figure climbed on the boat and Harry tensed briefly, recognizing the wizarding cut of the robes. But the stranger simply sat on the other end of the bench.

Harry let out the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and sat back. He had to get to his feet to reach the money in his pocket when the man came for the fare. He passed the man a bill, and made to sit down.

At that exact moment, the ship started moving, and the lantern suspended above them swung, blinding him for a moment. He was about to rub his eyes when he heard a shocked gasp.

"Potter?"

Bellatrix was there, holding him at wand point. For a few moments, nothing happened, and then he started to dodge, the same time as she intoned "Stupefy."

As the red light burst from her wand, the men on the bench started screaming screaming and a swooshing sound followed by a thump marked a hasty landing of an over-burdened broomstick.

A man pushed Bellatrix away and ran, jumping into the dark waters. Several other men, including most of the crew, were yelling at her and at each other, some of them in fright, others in anger. Amidst the confusion, Harry stumbled to his feet and ran towards the pair that had landed using the broomstick.

Bellatrix was occupied at the moment, and he had to make sure that he wasn't caught. That was why, when he spotted the white masked duo, he stopped and stared din confusion. He was even more confused when both masked figures sent killing curses towards Bellatrix.

The green light of the curse spurred him onto action and he attacked the Death Eaters from the side, launching Stunner after Stunner at them, while Bellatrix used the Cruciatus and other pain curses. It didn't take long for the two Death Eaters to fall to the onslaught, leaving Harry and Bellatrix the only magical people on a ship that was minus half its crew.

Wand steady, shield on his lips, Harry faced Bellatrix who was in a similar position.

"Potter," she said, her tone dry.

"Bellatrix," he replied, his tone an imitation of hers.

For a few minutes, the two faced each other, ignoring the few remaining crew members who were slowly coming to their senses and taking control of the ship. Some of them looked like they wanted to approach Harry and Bellatrix, but didn't want any part of what had just happened.

"Harry?"

Both combatants' heads snapped to the voice. Almost at the same time, two voices called "Stupefy!"

Ron Weasley's shield didn't stand a chance. He fell with a thump on the metal deck, his broom crashing into the bodies of the unconscious Death Eaters. Several other brooms were visible in the distance, and Harry forgot about Bellatrix in his haste to get away from them. Apparently, the same was true for the woman, since she didn't spare him a glance as she grabbed the Death Eater's broom.

Harry was already airborne, speeding away from the ship on Ron's Cleansweep. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, slowly being drowned out by the wind and roar of the sea. He risked a glance behind him, only to jerk in surprise as he saw Bellatrix on a broom, flying alongside him, long dark hair fluttering behind her.

He couldn't reach his wand, and it was almost impossible to cast spells at such a speed anyway. He tried to knock her off her broom, but she easily avoided him the Nimbus she rode more than a match for Ron's old broom.

Eventually, Harry gave up on trying to destabilize her, and focused on reaching the shore before his pursuers could get him. Repeated glances behind him showed him several figures on brooms, only one of them in black, so he supposed they were Order members.

Gritting his teeth, Harry swore not to let them catch him. _I will not be their tool anymore. Damn them all to hell._


	3. Chapter 3

**I Want Out**

by malko050987

**Chapter Three**

Disclaimer: I didn't, don't and won't own Harry Potter.

A/N: Many thanks to Konrad and LunaMoon224 for the good work they did on this chapter. Thanks to all the people who reviewed, the response was fantastic. You guys rock! Keep it up and I'll be in heaven for the rest of my days.

--

"Harry, wait, please, you have to listen to us!"

"Leave me alone!" he called back, veering quickly to avoid the curse Bellatrix sent his way. There were some shouts as he almost fell from his broom, but he was back on track immediately. He had no idea how Bellatrix had gotten to her wand, and cursed himself for it.

Ignoring the shouts from the people behind him, but paying close attention to any spell that might come towards him, Harry steered his broom in a steep dive towards the waters below him. The land was close, only minutes away, and maybe he'd be able to lose himself in the woods that covered this side.

He quickly discovered that diving had been a bad idea, as spell after spell came after him, forcing him to swerve madly. He heard Bellatrix's laugh from above him, and grit his teeth in frustration. Somebody from the chasers' group had heard her too, it seemed, because several spells were shot towards her, causing her to shoot back. Harry was surprised to see that she was using Impedimenta's, not more painful or debilitating spells.

But he didn't let that thought stray him from his purpose. Taking advantage of the distraction Bellatrix provided, he accelerated the broom to the maximum speed it could reach and soon was on the shore. He remained on the broom, flying slower and closer to the ground, looking for any place where he could hide. The moon and stars lit the area nicely, as well as the wands everybody from the Order had enlightened.

By the sounds and lights, they were still trying to catch Bellatrix. _Good. One less nuisance, _he thought, slowing down considerably and drawing his wand. He felt a lot better once he had his wand in his hand. He quickly Disillusioned himself and his broom, and hid in a copse of trees.

A minute later, Bellatrix flew at breakneck speed above the copse of trees, followed by the five Order members, who were chasing her. Spell after spell was traded between the Order and the woman, and Harry couldn't help but respect her abilities. She was holding her own against them, a feat not many could boast.

With a small smirk, he climbed on the broom and took to the air, heading for a mass of lights that signaled a city. At the far end of his right side, Harry saw flashes of light, marking the position of the still fighting group. He glanced at them from time to time, prepared to take action if they got close, but they didn't. They were heading the same way he was, on a parallel course.

He focused on arriving to the city. There wasn't much he could do while they were so far away. Hopefully, once he reached the city he'd be able to get passage on a Muggle ship and leave the country. Or perhaps he'd travel to a larger city and take a plane from there. He was capable of conjuring himself all the necessary identification papers, and knew how to get on a plane.

He was shaken out of his musings by another broom colliding with him, sending both riders plowing into the earth. They rolled a few times on the soft, grass-covered ground, limbs tangled, and at least one splintered broom, before they stopped. Harry was gasping for air, winded from the fall, while the other person was trying to disentangle the broom from their robes.

Harry recognized the broom right away, and jumped a few feet back, curses on his lips. Bellatrix startled at his sudden movement and froze, hand halfway to her wand. Harry briefly considered asking her why she was following him, but decided not to. Why should he care? She was an enemy. Besides, she wasn't following him. She was running away, as the fight on the ship had proved.

He started the stunning hex when a blue jet of light came at him from above and left. Cursing, he dove out of the way.

"_Stupefy_, _Stupefy_, _Impedimenta_, _Lumos_ _Solem_!" he chanted, feeling a brief bout of satisfaction at the shouts of pain from above him. There were only three of them now, and one of them was spinning wildly, both hands covering his eyes. Harry quickly sent another string of curses, causing him to crash in the ground. He moaned quite loudly, so Harry knew that he was still alive.

After sending several more curses towards the two remaining fliers, Harry turned tail and ran, seeking some cover. They had crashed in the middle of a field and Harry had no intention of remaining there. Two casters on brooms had the definite advantage when it came to a ground-to-air duel.

Behind him he heard Bellatrix cast a few spells of her own. He focused in front of him, glad that the ground was relatively even. He did not want to light his wand if he could manage it. A minute of running later, he realized that he needn't have bothered. There was nobody chasing him. He could see flashes of light, coming from two persons engaged in a duel. Bellatrix must have taken out their brooms, since both fighters were on the ground.

Soon, a red light hit the remaining Order member and Bellatrix started running towards the city. And incidentally, towards him. Harry spared a thought towards the Order members, hoping that none of them were mortally wounded, and Disillusioned himself, crouching on the ground, doing his best to remain still as Bellatrix approached at a ground-eating lope.

As soon as she was within a dozen yards of him, Harry whispered the Stunning Spell, and leapt into action as she put a shield up at the last instant. They traded spells just like in the Ministry, neither getting the upper hand, and this time there were no physical obstacles to offer advantages.

"_Stupefy_, _Lumos_, _Impedimenta_, _Petrificus_, _Stupefy_, _Diffindo_!" Harry called as he ran to the side, his curses leaving long lines in the night. He was breathing heavily after almost an hour of continuous spell casting, but he was also enjoying himself immensely.

He'd never been so challenged in his entire life. Quidditch offered its challenges, but Harry was a natural flier, and there were few things that he couldn't do with a broom. Dueling was different though. He had trained long and hard to become good at it, under the supervision of some of the best duelists the Order had to offer. And he was able to hold his own against the very best of what Voldemort had to offer. Of course, he would probably be flattened by Voldemort, but save that, Bellatrix was by far the best duelist Voldemort had at his call.

As he jumped over a streaking purple light, Harry thought, _only she's not at his call anymore. I wonder why?_

He wasn't able to voice his question, because a few pops announced the appearance of several masked figures. Without a second thought, Harry turned his wand on them, energized by a burst of adrenaline.

--

"Bellatrix, our Master has ordered that you will be killed. Do you have anything to say?" Lucius Malfoy said, his wand pointed towards her, completely ignoring the fight going on between Harry Potter and the two other Death Eaters.

"_Crucio_!" Bellatrix shrieked, fueling the spell with all the hatred she had for the blond. He dove out of the way, responding in kind.

Soon, the two remaining Death Eaters joined the battle as well. Bellatrix cast curse after curse, letting them flow from instinct, eyes half closed and an eerie smile on her face as she called incantation after incantation, dodging some spells, shielding against most of them.

It all melted together, becoming a blend of gesture and sound. Duck, shield, cast, lean left, cast, shield, and duck again. Before her, the land under Lucius' feet suddenly erupted, sending the blond crashing some twenty feet away.

It took Bellatrix a few seconds to realize that the battle had stopped and that she was facing Harry, who was looking her with hate, mixed with something she couldn't recognize at first._ Respect? Why would he respect me, the brat?_

She smirked at him, seeing that his wand was not in his hand, and twirled her wand in a complex pattern, shouting in her mind. The bright yellow beam that shot out of her wand spread in a fan pattern, five feet wide once it reached Harry, and even so, he was only caught by the edge of the blast.

She quickly sent Stunner after Stunner, wanting to take him down. But he recovered quickly, and although his left arm hung limply and his left calf was bleeding, held his own for a few minutes. But his mobility, one of his greatest assets in a duel, was lacking, and finally she was able to hit him with a Petrificus.

Maliciously, she walked towards him, hitting him with two more binding spells, just in case he was able to break through the first. She walked in a circle around him before stopping in front of him and meeting his eyes, expecting to see hate and fear.

She was not prepared to see the respect in his eyes. It was heavily shadowed by a simmering anger and a layer of hate, but she could recognize it for what it was. She had seen that look once before in the eyes of a man. Frank Longbottom had voiced it as well. _'You have won fairly. Victory is yours, but I shall die with dignity.' _

She had been so angry then. Through their torture, neither Auror had so much as cried out. At the time, Bellatrix had hated them both, but now, seeing the same look in Harry's eyes, she could not be angry with him. Yes, she hated him, and she would soon show him the extent of her hate, but he had been a worthy opponent, and he had fought fair.

_Fair? Since when does fair matter?_ she thought, surprised at the direction her thoughts took.

She was so lost in her thoughts, that Harry's probe went unnoticed went unnoticed for a moment. But an instant later she slammed down her Occlumency shields and backhanded him.

"Get out of my head!" she screeched, throwing her arm back, ready to hit him again. A memory stopped her, however.

_The Death Eater crawled over to the Dark Lord's throne and kissed the hem of his robe before backing a few feet and bowing so low that his forehead touched the dirty floor. _

"_M-master, I bring good news," he stammered, his voice barely audible. He sounded so young! But they were all young, with the exception of the very few members of the inner circle. _

_Voldemort steepled his fingers in front of his face and nodded towards the Death Eater. "Speak, Severus," he said in a soft voice that was nonetheless heard by everybody._

"_I heard-" the youth stopped speaking, drawing in large gulps of air, as if coming to terms with what he'd heard. _

"_Speak, Severus," Voldemort repeated, his voice harsh this time. _

_The youth visibly stiffened, and his voice trembled as he spoke. "Prophecy, Master! There is a prophecy." He ignored Voldemort's sudden immobility as he described how he listened in on Sibyll Trelawney and how he'd heard only the first half of the prophecy before being thrown out. _

_Voldemort's reaction stunned most of his followers present. He stood, reached for Snape's neck and pulled him up, before backhanding him with enough force to send the youth crashing to the floor, nose broken. _

Bellatrix let her hand fall to her side, and raised her wand instead. "What should I do with you, Potter?" she asked, her voice dripping malice. She prodded him with her wand, sneering as his eyes maintained the same look, showing no pain. "Let's show you why nobody defeats me in a duel, Potter," she said, raising her wand.

"_Crucio_!" a sudden voice called, making Bellatrix turn and cast her own spell.

"_Reducto_!"

The second incantation was almost instantaneous with the first, and it sent Lucius Malfoy flying for the second time that night. This time however, he was conscious and able to right himself as Bellatrix kept him under close watch, wand pointed. "Only I torture my prisoners, Malfoy," she snarled.

He brushed his hair back with his hand, his face composing itself in the sneer only a Malfoy could manage. "Bellatrix, I see you have captured Potter. The Master will be pleased. He might allow you to live, if you were to bring him the boy," he said, his voice hoarse from all the spell casting he had done.

She looked at him for a few minutes, almost disbelieving. She hadn't even considered handing Harry over. He was her prize. And she was certain that even if she were allowed to live, it would be the life of a slave, at the beck and call of whomever Voldemort gave her to. No, she did not want that. Decision made, she gave her wand a jab and spoke an incantation. Lucius keeled over, eyes glazed as the Memory Charm erased the last twenty-four hours from his memory.

Bellatrix repeated the procedure on the rest of the Death Eaters before turning to Harry and plucking his wand from his hand. She saw a brief flash of panic as she handled the instrument, and a faint relief as she pocketed it, and not broke it, as he probably expected her to.

"Let's see how you like being left wandless in a hostile area, Potter," she smirked at him before starting to walk towards the lights of the city. Dawn was approaching, and she desperately needed rest and food. Once well rested and fed, she would plan further.

--

Harry felt a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as Bellatrix took his wand, and it was with only a small measure of relief that he watched her walk away in the corner of his eye. When even the sound of her footsteps was gone, he focused his attention inwards, trying to focus enough magic to break through the spell.

It took almost an hour for the spells to break, and he was sweating profusely by then. He sat on the ground for a few minutes before checking the Death Eaters for wands. To his dismay, even Lucius' had been snapped. Even as he cursed Bellatrix's name to all hells and back again, he felt a grudging admiration for breaking the wands without him seeing it. He had hoped that he could take a wand from them and have a means of defending himself.

Resigning himself to a wandless life for a while, Harry began walking towards the city. The sun was cresting the horizon just as he started walking, and he took the opportunity to study himself. He was dirty, sweaty, and his robes were ready to be binned. He could feel how tangled his hair was when he ran through it, and winced.

_Oh well, nothing to do about it yet. _Fortunately, Bellatrix had left him his money, so when he got to the city he would be able to buy himself new clothing and perhaps spend a day in a Muggle motel and get cleaned up. His stomach rumbled, and he added food to his list of needs. Limping and cradling his left arm to his chest, he started walking.

--

The trek to the city was easy, but monotonous. Harry encountered a road after a few minutes of walking, and it made his progress easier. Even so, it was a full two hours before he reached the outskirts of the city. Early risers watched his progress with wide eyes; an old woman shrieked at the sight of his wounded leg.

He approached a man dressed in a white robe that was waiting in front of a small grocery store, and asked for directions to the nearest hospital. The man, obviously a doctor, asked him if he could wait a minutes, and he'd drive Harry there. He gratefully accepted, leaning against the wall of the shop. A few minutes later, a cheerful woman balancing several grocery bags walked out of the shop, and the doctor conferred briefly with her.

She quickly placed the bags in the booth of a small, old-looking car and helped Harry climb in the front seat. The doctor drove them to the hospital, where Harry soon found himself strapped to a table, looking at a Muggle doctor cleaning his wound. It wasn't very deep, and the doctor assured him that he could walk out of the hospital on his own.

The doctor took care of his arm as well, and reset his shoulder. He was glad when the doctor said he had to remain in the hospital for the day and give himself a brief time to heal.

"You're young, so you'll heal pretty fast, but it would be best if you didn't push your leg for a day or two," the nurse explained later as she brought him breakfast. He devoured everything on the plate, despite the awful taste, and then fell asleep.

--

"Here you go," Bellatrix said, handing over a few bills. The cashier took them, counted the change and gave her a key.

"Have a pleasant stay," she chirruped, but her eyes were already back on the small television installed in her booth.

Bellatrix climbed the stairs to her room and placed the bag of newly purchased clothing on the bed. She picked a number of clothes, a large towel and headed for the shared showers. A few spells made sure that she would be undisturbed while she washed herself.

Refreshed, and far cleaner than she'd felt in a long time, she dressed in Muggle clothing, wrinkling her nose in distaste of the cut of the jeans she had bought. _Can't be helped, I guess,_ she thought, appraising herself in the mirror. The jeans she'd bought were dark blue and seemed tight, but a few stretches assured her that she would be free to move well enough in case of a duel. Wishing for a good pair of robes, she pulled a T-shirt over her head, and a black sweater over that.

Once satisfied with herself, she retreated to her room, and practically ripped apart the container of Muggle food she had purchased. The food was nothing like she was used to, but it was filling, and she found herself drifting to sleep after disposing of the leftovers.


	4. Chapter 4

**I Want Out**

by malko050987

**Chapter Four**

Disclaimer: I did not, do not, and will not own Harry Potter. It's all Jo's, folks.

A/N: Many thanks to Konrad and LunaMoon224 for the awesome beta work they did (and still do) on this story. Very much appreciated, guys. As always, reviews are graciously accepted, and usually answered.

--

Bellatrix passed from sleep to full wakefulness in an instant; a quick check proved that she had slept for almost twenty-four hours. She quickly got out of bed and dressed, smiling in satisfaction as she placed Harry's wand in a Transfigured bag. She didn't know why she kept it whole, instead of breaking it. When Harry had broken hers, she had wanted to rip him to pieces. Now, she found herself considering returning it. She stopped as that occurred to her. Why would she want to do that? After a few seconds of contemplation, she didn't have an answer.

Shrugging those thoughts away, she made her way to the reception and asked for directions to the nearest train station, so she could take the train to Belfast. The receptionist cheerfully pointed the right way, but also notified her that she had missed the morning train, and the next train was in the late evening. Bellatrix stalked away from the motel muttering curses.

Finding the train station was easy since the city wasn't very big, and all of the more traveled streets eventually reached it. It was a large brick building, with a plaque proclaiming it to be the Whitehead Train Station. She checked the train schedule, and found no trains that led to Belfast. A helpful employee informed her that she could get to Belfast by taking the train to Larne, waiting two hours for another train there, head to Ballyclare, and from there go to Antrim, which was a larger city and had connections with Belfast on an hourly basis.

Bellatrix glared at him and stalked out, barely restraining herself from cursing the dumb oaf. She spotted a pair of teenagers ambling their way down the street and headed towards them.

"Where can I find a pub?" she snapped as soon as they noticed her.

The two boys glanced at each other and pointed down the street. Bellatrix looked that way and saw a large four-leaf clover sign. She mumbled thanks and hurried towards it. The inside was dark, and it was empty, save for a bored barman. A radio in the corner made a low buzzing sound, interposed with bits of words and music.

She flung a conjured note on the bar. "A glass of your strongest alcohol, please."

The man put down the rag and glass he had been rubbing together and reached under the bar, taking out a clean glass. He filled it with a clear liquid and dropped half of a lemon slice in it before pushing it towards her. Bellatrix didn't waste any time and chugged it down, motioning for a refill before moving to a table in the corner opposite the radio.

She felt the alcohol burning in her belly, and looked at the beverage in her glass. Muggle drinks had a way of sneaking up on you, and she had no intention of getting drunk. Not while she was in the same city as Harry. She started slightly at that. Was she certain he was in the city? As she remembered the events of the night, she was positive that he was in the city. There was no other place he could go to, and he couldn't Apparate back to England. Overseas Apparition was not possible.

After staring at the glass for a few minutes, she heard the barman approaching her table; she looked at him sharply, one hand reaching for her wand.

The man stopped abruptly at her motion, and held out a plate. "Breakfast," he said at her inquisitive gaze. She nodded at him and he set the plate on her table, hurrying back to the bar after that. Bellatrix surreptitiously checked the plate for spells and potions. Satisfied that it was as clear as it could be, she started eating.

It was a filling food, if not particularly good. She ate slowly, planning her actions for the day. She could wait until the train left, preferably out of the way, so she wouldn't be spotted by any Death Eaters her former master would send this way. Harry was in town as well, so avoiding him would be a good choice too.

She had his wand, but he had proved himself to be a resourceful wizard, and she didn't want to give him any chance to put said resourcefulness into use. Sipping from time to time from her drink, Bellatrix relaxed in her chair, wishing time could pass faster. She had a long wait ahead of her.

--

Harry slowly blinked his eyes open, taking in his blurred surroundings. He reached for his glasses automatically, and found them on the nightstand next to the hospital bed he was in. Once he was able to see, he looked around the room. The walls were white, and the floor was tiled. _Easier to wash_, he thought, wincing as his feet touched the floor. _Cold, too._

He quickly spotted a change of clothes at the foot of his bed and dressed, happy not to need any assistance to put on his pants. His leg was stiff, but the cut didn't hurt, and he hoped that in a few days he'd have full mobility again. _Of course, if I had my wand, I would be healed in a minute, _he thought grumpily, missing the familiar feeling of having his wand near him.

After he was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a white T-shirt that was a size too big on him, he cautiously made his way to the door, opening it right as a nurse was entering.

"Good morning, Mr…." she greeted, motioning him back to his bed. He followed her and sat on the bed while she took a seat on a chair next to the bed.

"Potter. My name is Harry Potter," he said, seeing no reason to hide his identity from her. He would be gone from the city as soon as he found Bellatrix and retrieved his wand.

The nurse asked him some questions, easily accepting his story on how he had gotten hurt while climbing a tree. After filling some paperwork and paying for his stay in the hospital, Harry made his way to the lobby, where he met the doctor who had brought him in.

"Good morning," the doctor greeted cheerfully. "Feeling better?"

Harry nodded, grinning at the doctor. "Yes sir, thank you for driving me here yesterday."

The man clapped him on the shoulder. "You needed help. It would have been against my oath not to help you," he replied, smiling at Harry. A buzz sounded from his pocket and his face fell. "I'm sorry, but duty calls."

Harry nodded, shaking the man's hand. "I understand, sir. Thanks again."

A few minutes later, Harry walked out of the hospital, wincing at the mid-morning sun. The nurse had told him that he had been sedated, to stop him from moving in his sleep and disturb the bandage on his leg. As a result, he was feeling well rested, especially after the hectic day he'd had. He pondered the events of the previous two days as he made his way through the small city, until a rumble from the lower regions of his stomach interrupted him.

At a loss, he walked through the city, feeling ore and more hungry, and regretful that he'd refused the hospital food when the nurse had offered him breakfast. Eventually, he spotted a large four-clover sign, and quickly rushed inside, hoping that they served food as well.

The pub was dark, and it took his eyes a few minutes to adjust properly. By that time, he was seated at a table, eating a double-sized breakfast while tuning out the buzz of the broken radio in a corner. He finished the meal quickly, chasing the last bite with a glass of orange juice.

Finally sated, he leaned back in his chair and took the time to look around the room. He was sitting almost in the middle of the room, his back to the broken radio. To his left, there was the bar, with the exit on the other side. Straight in front of him, there was the only other occupied room in the pub. The dim lighting didn't allow him to see who it was, and he shrugged it off, returning to his juice as he thought about his plans for the day.

He needed his wand. It was of utmost importance that he got it back, no matter the cost. If he didn't have a wand, he was helpless if he was attacked again. _But where could Bellatrix be? I bet she's already out of the city_, he thought.

He walked to the bar to ask the barman how he could find a way out of the city, a train or bus, when the woman seated at the table in the corner called for another drink. She had her head down, and didn't seem to have been looking at the bar, staring fixedly at her glass, now empty.

"Now, Madam, I believe it's a bit early for-" the barman began, rolling his eyes at Harry.

But Harry wasn't listening. He had recognized the voice, and couldn't believe his luck. Stepping quickly, he sat in the chair opposite Bellatrix. "Make it two," he called.

Bellatrix's head snapped up and she looked at him in surprise. "Potter," she greeted with a slight nod, even as under the table, she was pointing a wand at him.

"Lestrange," he replied.

"Black," she snapped. At his curios look, she went on, "I am certain that by now, Rodolphus has removed all trace of any link between us, and he has disowned me, because I shamed his name," she explained, the last words in a dry tone.

Careful to keep his hands in sight, Harry paid for the drinks when the barman brought them, and took a cautious sip from his glass, grimacing at the burning sensation. With one hand under the table, Bellatrix sipped from her own drink, eying him carefully. They sat in silence for a few minutes, each waiting for the other to speak. Finally, Bellatrix brought both her hands to rest on the table. Harry raised an eyebrow at her.

"If I wanted to kill you, you'd be rotting in a field right now," she said, shrugging. He nodded, accepting the truth of her words.

"Why are you here, Potter?" Bellatrix asked after a few moments when it was obvious that Harry wasn't going to say anything.

"Trying to get a life of my own," he replied, his face darkening at the memories of the reason he'd ran away. He didn't notice the surprised expression on Bellatrix's face as he said that.

"Potter, I'm not a mind reader. Be more specific," she snapped. The mind reader bit was a lie, but he was far better than she was at Occlumency, so it wouldn't work.

"Why are you here?" he countered, his tone clearly saying that he wasn't going to give her more details.

"Running for my life," she said, carefully studying the liquid in her glass. After a few moments of silence from Harry's part, she put the glass down and looked at him. "Thanks to you, Potter, the Dark Lord considers me useless, and has ordered that I have to be killed."

Harry's face showed his surprise, mixed with satisfaction. "Why are you still alive, then?" he asked, his tone harder. For a minute, he thought that Bellatrix hadn't heard him, but then she spoke.

"For years I was his most faithful servant. I was the best he had, and then he just threw me away, like a useless rag. His best servant!" She was gripping her glass so tight that Harry thought it would shatter in her hands.

"If it helps any, I'm sorry," he said after she calmed down. At her incredulous look, he explained, "If I had known that this would happen during that battle at the Ministry, I would have killed you then. That way, you wouldn't have to face this."

She stared at him in stupefaction for a few seconds before bursting into laughter tinged with a bit of hysteria. He smirked and sipped from his glass while she got her amusement under control. When that happened, she just looked at him for a few seconds, taking in his stance - relaxed, but ready to act in an instant. She nodded as if to herself, and reached in her pack, throwing something at him over the table.

Rusty Seeker reflexes kicked in and Harry snatched his wand from the air. An instant later he was pointing it at Bellatrix. She simply aimed a downward look, and he saw that she had a wand on him too.

"I hate you, Potter," Bellatrix said. "You destroyed my life, and now I'm running from my former master and friends, as well as that stupid Order, and I'm a fugitive in the Ministry's eyes as well." She stared at him as if challenging him to dispute anything she'd said.

Instead, he nodded slightly at her and put his wand in his back pocket. "I hate you too, Black," he replied. "You killed my godfather, not to mention all the atrocities you've committed while in service of Voldemort." He smirked as she let out a slight hiss at the sound of the name.

She considered cursing him, but gave up on the idea. He was obviously not going to start a fight with her now. _Why should he,_ she thought. _I'm not his enemy anymore. _She said as much to him, and was surprised when he agreed.

"We both want to get away from this place, and I don't fancy having to dodge you as well as the Order and the Death Eaters," Harry said.

She nodded at his words. It made sense. She was more than capable to fight her way out of a situation, but he was just as, if not more powerful than her, and fighting him wouldn't be productive. "So... a truce?" she asked distrustfully.

He shook his head. "No. An agreement. I stay out of your way, and you stay out of mine. I will get out of here with the first train, and hopefully we'll never meet again."

She turned the idea around in her head for a few minutes, taking a few sips of the drink. It was a good idea, but she had a bad feeling about it. "What happens if there is an attack and we're in the middle of it again?" she asked.

Harry opened his mouth as if to protest the possibility of that happening, but her pointed look made him shut up. So far, they had been attacked several times, and usually they'd each fought back. He shrugged. "We fight back, and then go our separate ways," he said.

"No matter what?" she pressed. "Even if somebody gets killed in the attack? What if I kill Weasley?"

Harry's' eyes hardened. "We go our separate ways," he said, emptying his glass in one go and holding it up for the barman to refill it. While the man was doing that, Bellatrix studied Harry. What had they done to make him feel like that? She didn't want to risk asking him, so she kept silent.

Half an hour later, Harry stood. "Bellatrix, I hope I never see you again. Have a good life," he said before leaving. She called a goodbye back of her own, and then he was gone, hopefully for good.

--

Bellatrix swore as she ran a few steps and jumped on the step leading into the already moving train car. She clung tightly to the door, eventually pulling herself inside with a mighty heave. She swung the door shut behind her, leaning against the wall, wishing she had remembered not to drink too much alcohol.

After a few minutes, she started walking through the car, seeking a free compartment where she could ward herself and sleep off the alcohol. The first three were all occupied and for a moment, she thought the fourth was as well, but it looked empty. She tried the door, and when it wouldn't budge, she waved her wand, casting a silent _Alohomora_. The door glided open, and she was faced with the business end of Harry's wand.

"Oh," she said, turning to go. He grunted and pulled the door closed. A squelching sound informed her that he had locked it again. She shrugged and moved on, finally finding an empty compartment at the other end of the train. She set it as Harry had, with a locking charm and an illusion on the door. She set an alarm to wake her in four hours, and stretched on the seat, asleep in minutes.

--

Harry groaned and stretched, blinking when his feet touched the compartment wall. A low rumble and the vibration in the walls told him that the train was still moving. _Can't be much longer,_ he thought, checking his watch. Nodding to himself, he quickly returned the compartment to its original state, and stepped outside, heading for the car exit. He wanted to be off the train quickly, and find the airport so he could leave the country. He didn't know where exactly he wanted to go, but he wanted to leave.

_Perhaps Africa?_ he thought wryly, adjusting the strap of his pack on his shoulder. He flexed his injured leg a bit, thankful that he had taken the time to learn healing spells. The first thing he'd done after leaving the bar was to find a quiet alley and heal himself.

A few minutes later the train stopped in the large, modern Belfast train station. He climbed off and headed for the exit, joining the shortest queue. It seemed strange to him that there should be a queue for leaving a train-station, but he was too lost in his thoughts to pay attention to what everybody around him was saying.

However, when he caught the word "Ministry" his head snapped up and he looked ahead of him. The queue was very short at this point, and there were only a few people ahead of him. A young officer waved a slim device over the man waiting to leave and the nodded at the man.

Harry watched as the process repeated, getting increasingly worried. What where those devices? He fixed his eyes on the officer, and caught his eyes, extending his Legilimency probe. A second later he was ejected by powerful Occlumency shields and stepped back.

"Stop that man!" the officer bellowed, pointing at Harry, who froze for a moment, before taking off. He heard people shouting in panic as he pushed his way through the crowds, going back to the trains, hoping to follow one of the tracks away from his current location.

When he got there however, he was stopped by a couple of Muggle policemen who pointed their guns at him.

"Hands up, lad!" one of them called.

Harry sighed, turning slightly and raising one hand while reaching for the wand with the other. He needn't have bothered, because the next moment, a bright red beam took out one of the officers, which distracted the other. A moment later, the other was Stunned as well.

Harry ran towards the train, ducking under it and crawling until he was on the other side. Once there, he started running towards the end of the train. He heard footsteps on the other side for a few moments, and then a spell he didn't understand, followed by a body flying over the train and landing heavily in front of him.

He stopped short with a curse halfway spoken and ran over to the groaning Bellatrix. He helped her stand. "Can you walk?" he asked quickly. She nodded, casting a few spells at her ankle. Once the blue light from her last spell faded, she grabbed his arm and dragged him on.

After nothing happened for almost ten minutes, they thought they were free. By this time, they were long out of the train station, and were about to leave the train tracks at the point where they entered the city. Just as they were about to do that, however, a spell hit the ground next to Harry, spraying them with dirt.

"By Order of the British Ministry Of Magic, you are to surrender your wands and come with us," a voice called.

Bellatrix yelled a very insulting phrase back, causing Harry to chuckle. Another spell came at them, and Harry deflected it while Bellatrix shot several spells in the direction of the caster. A yell of pain marked her hit as an Invisibility cloak fell from a figure dressed in Auror robes.

"Harry Potter, you are hereby under arrest. Surrender your wand and come with us to the Ministry for questioning," the voice said. "Bellatrix Black, you are under arrest. Surrender your wand and come with us to the Ministry for your trial."

"Bollocks to that," Bellatrix yelled; as she turned in a circle, shooting Reductor curses at every spot Aurors could be hiding.

"Bellatrix Black and Harry Potter, due to resisting arrest, I have no choice but to obey my orders," the same voice said, this time with an odd tinge in it. "Aurors, take them."

* * *

d-scribe has raised a few questions, and since it's anonymous, I'll answer here. If you want me to answer but don't feel like reviewing, pm me, or ask in the forums I set up. I DO answer all questions.

**1. Ok, so, what exactly were they trying to arrest Harry for?** It's exaplained later in the fic, but the Aurors are trained lawmen. When a civilian aids a known convict, they take both into custody. I don't know anything about police work, but it's what I'd do. The Ministry wants Harry for other reasons, shown later in the fic.

**1. Next point, is there a good reason why Harry isn't using multiple apparation jumps to throw them (them at this point being just about everybody) off his trail?**The idea is good, and I did consider writing it. However, you need to know where you're going, or at least a set of coordinates. Harry's never been to Northern Ireland, or outside England/Scotland. So he's on unfamiliar ground.

**Not really a plot hole, but if Harry can force his feelings onto people at a subconsious level, why didn't he just do that to Ron too?** He was upset at the time, and can't really do something like that to a person he'd considered a best friend until then. Thanks for all the criticism, it helps make this a better fic

Chris


	5. Chapter 5

**I Want Out**

by malko050987

**Chapter Five**

**--**

_Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Yet. Ever. _

_A/N: Many thanks to all the work Konrad and LunaMoon224 have put into this. Greatly appreciated, guys. Reviews are welcomed and answered, usually._

--

Harry grabbed Bellatrix's arm, spinning her in a circle even as he waved his wand with his other hand, tracing a line in the air. _"Novacula saeptum,"_ he chanted, giving his wand a twirl at the last syllable. A line of twinkling silver stars appeared in the wake of his wand. An instant later, they took the firmer shape of steel razorblades, spinning in the air. A flick of Harry's wand sent them flying outward, sharp edges glinting.

The three Aurors that had uncloaked themselves dodged out of the way but were still hit by the fast moving blades. Two of them vanished as emergency Portkeys took them away. Additionally, several curses marked the location of another two Aurors, one of which vanished after a brief spurt of blood.

Bellatrix took a second to orient herself after Harry's sudden movement, and then crouched in a dueling stance. Only one Auror was still visible, and Harry was casting rapid curses at him, muttering words she could barely hear. The bright, almost neon-like color of the spells told her they were not regular curses, a fact evidenced a moment later when the Auror was hit by a green beam and turned into a porcupine that squealed and dove in a bush.

She turned from Harry, keeping sight of the area he couldn't see. Both of them turned in sync, wands twitching at every motion. There were more Aurors, and they still hadn't hit the leader. Bellatrix used the brief respite to cast a few passive spells on her and the ground around her. _Enimvero pedes, _she thought, moving her wand in a wide arc.

The ground there gave an almost invisible shimmer, and she smiled internally at the accuracy of the anti-tripping spell. The rocky ground was not one made for fast movement, but most wizard duelists relied on moving fast to escape spells. She took a few steps, both her and Harry careful not to let themselves uncovered, and cast the spell again.

Suddenly, there was a barked order and seven Aurors became visible. A few of them had minor wounds, and all of them were looking mad. "Harry James Potter and Bellatrix Black, you are hereby under arrest. Surrender your wands and you will be escorted to the Ministry of Magic," the leader of the Aurors said; Bellatrix frowned at the odd undertone in his voice. She had heard such a voice before...

"On what ground am I being arrested?" Harry called calmly, eying the Aurors that were positioning themselves in a circle around him and Bellatrix.

The Auror responded immediately, and Bellatrix suddenly knew where she had heard a voice like that before. "You are charged with complicity to escaping convict. Additionally, there are two charges of resisting arrest, a charge of destroying public property, and one charge of illegal possession of Ministry property."

Bellatrix gave Harry a small nudge. "He's under a control spell," she hissed, keeping her eyes on the Aurors in front of her. He didn't give any sign of acknowledging it, but confirmed it with his next words.

"Come now, Kingsley. You know very well that those accusations are made up by the idiots who put you under a control spell," Harry said calmly. Before the Auror had a chance to reply, Harry's wand snapped towards him. _"Revoca Mensa Dominium,_" he called; the pale blue light hit the Auror full on in the chest. Kingsley was blown back a few yards, landing heavily. A moment later, he was taken away by his emergency Portkey.

The moment he was gone, the other Aurors began casting spells in earnest. Harry dropped to the ground, and was followed an instant later by Bellatrix. From his prone position, he aimed his wand at one Auror. _"Letipho convocare!" _he yelled. A dark shape burst out of his wand and attached itself to the Auror's face.

As the rest of the Aurors watched in stunned disbelief as their comrade struggled with the mass of the creature, Bellatrix shot to her feet. _"Envici inimicus," _she called, giving a slight growl in satisfaction at seeing the Auror slump back, unconscious.

"_Patefaciere homo!_" an Auror called out forcefully, making a downward slashing motion with his wand. Bellatrix dived out of the way of the yellow wave, grunting as she landed on her shoulder. Shooting to her feet, she quickly shielded herself against his next spell, cursing out loud as other Aurors joined his fellow. Harry was a few yards away, furiously trading curses with a pair of Aurors; one of them had cuts on his face, but seemed fine enough. Between shields and curses, she managed to maneuver so she was again next to Harry.

"_Obscurare!_" Harry called, twirling his wand in a spiral. A thick cloud of dark smoke went off from his wand, heading for the pair of Aurors, surrounding them completely. "_Stupefy! Incarcerous! Envici Inimicus! Incarcerous! Naturalis Inligo! __Transformo Aricus!"_ he called in quick succession, aiming his hexes towards the patch of dark smoke.

"_Acclaro!_" one of the two other Aurors called, and the dark cloud smoke cleared, revealing a thoroughly bound porcupine and an Auror that had a yellow shield up, but looked about to faint. He cast a last curse and vanished.

"_Concussum!_" Bellatrix cast, knocking the feet out from under the Auror who had been battering on her shield. She immediately dived to the ground, thus escaping a light blue hex the other had sent her way.

"_Patefaciere homo!_" the prone Auror chanted. Bellatrix moved her body in a desperate attempt to get her neck out of the way of the spell, but hissed in pain as it hit her shoulder and dug a deep gash. She cursed and raised her wand, knowing that she wouldn't be fast enough to stop the other curse the Aurors was preparing to cast.

"_Adfligo!_" Harry yelled suddenly, sending the thick orange beam at a stocky Auror who deflected it back, losing his shield to do so. "_Vivus Reducio!_" Harry cast once the shield was gone. The blue medical spell hit the Auror, sending him into a coma. Bellatrix's hand dropped to the ground in exhaustion. Absently and lightheaded from the blood loss, she listened to the battle.

"_Sectumsempra!_" the single remaining Auror called. Harry jumped out of the way, but his arm was touched by the spell, and started to bleed freely from multiple cuts. Gritting his teeth, he shielded against the Auror's next spell, sending back a Stunner. The Auror easily blocked it and retaliated with a non-verbal spell that Harry dodged.

"_Expecto Patronum!_" Harry called, sending the large silvery stag towards the Head Auror. Taken by surprise by the large apparition, the man didn't have time to dodge Harry's second spell, which knocked him out cold.

Once the Auror vanished, Harry rushed to Bellatrix side. He quickly assessed her injuries and did the basest of healing spells on her shoulder, stopping the flow of blood and numbing most of the pain.

He tried to heal his bleeding arm, but the cuts refused to close, although the blood stopped from flowing. He placed both their wands in his pocket and helped Bellatrix stand. She was almost incoherent from the blood loss, and leaned heavily on him. With a frown, he Apparated both of them halfway back to distance to the train station.

He stumbled off the railroad and made his way to a larger street, waving at the first car he saw. The first two cars didn't stop, and the third just accelerated at the sight of their bloody bodies. The fourth stopped and a pale woman climbed out of the car.

"Hospital, please," Harry gasped. Bellatrix was unconscious and he was too tired to be able to support her full weight for any length of time.

"Sure, lad," the lady said, helping him place Bellatrix on the backseat of the car. He got in next to her, keeping her upright in the seat.

"The name's Linda McDougall," the lady sad once they were driving. She was pale, but her voice was determined and her hands weren't shaking.

"James Evans," Harry mumbled through his pain. "Can you go faster?"

"We're nearly there, lad," she replied. "I'll have yeh and yer lady friend to the hospital in a mo'."

Harry nodded absently. The numbing charms were wearing off his arm and the pain was affecting his judgment. _I can't afford to be unconscious! _he thought, worried. But he didn't have much choice when the car suddenly stopped, sending him headfirst into the seat in front of him.

--

Bellatrix groaned slightly and opened her eyes, quickly closing them at the bright light shining in the room. She turned her head away from the glare and slowly eased her eyes to open, blinking a few times to let her eyes adjust. Once she could see properly, she examined her surroundings.

She was in a hospital bed with sheets slightly yellowed from age and prolonged use. There was a small nightstand next to the bed, and she was glad to see her wand on it, as well as her pouch of Galleons. Satisfied with her closest surroundings, she looked at the rest of the room. The room itself was elongated, with her bed in one end. The other side of the room was a mirror of hers. A door was set in the wall to her left side, approximately in the middle of the room.

The floor was polished wood, and made uneven by age and countless people standing or walking on it. It was a dark brown in color, fitting the walls, which were a pale brown, plain with the exception of a Muggle light bulb in the middle of the ceiling and a window in the other side of the room. The sun was currently shining through that window, making it hard for her to see the occupant of the other bed, although she was certain it was Harry.

She dimly remembered the battle with the Aurors, being taken out by a hex, and Harry helping her walk, a Muggle vehicle, and a jolt that had made her gasp in pain, a kind face, and gentle hands helping her in the bed.

She tried sitting up, but pain shot through her body and she dropped back on the bed with a pained "oomph." The memory of the curse came to her, bringing along a pounding headache, and she swore loudly. _Patefaciere homo, _or the 'Autopsy Curse,' as it was called in some books, had a few devastating side-effects when used on living creatures.

Essentially a medical spell, it had been developed by healers to easily open corpses for autopsies when the magical diagnosis was lacking. In the rare case where transplants were needed, a variation was used to cleanly remove an organ from the body of the donor.

It was that that complicated matter when the curses hit a living human. It didn't only cut; it also sealed the cut halves, making reattaching limbs and organs a very difficult and delicate procedure. Fortunately for her, she had been hit with the base version of the curse, and that meant that with proper care her shoulder would be nearly as good as new.

She wriggled and twisted, gritting her teeth against the pain, and managed to prop herself against the wall. Once there she closed her eyes, forcing back the pain. She reached over with her uninjured hand and grabbed her wand. She didn't know where she was, and had no intention of remaining unarmed.

After almost an hour in which she exercised her silent spell casting, the occupant of the other bed stirred and a hiss of pain marked his instinctual grab for his eyeglasses. She kept her wand trained on him as he sat up easier than she had done, although he seemed to be in a lot of pain as well.

"Where are we, Potter?" she asked, her wand pointed at him.

He shrugged and examined his surroundings. "No idea. Must be a Muggle place, though," he answered, slowly inching his hand towards his wand on the nightstand. When Bellatrix didn't react in any way, he grabbed hold of it and looked considerably less tense. He pointed it at himself, letting loose colorful expletive at the results of the spell.

"How did we get here?" Bellatrix asked after a few minutes of silence.

Harry frowned, and half-closed his eyes as he recalled the events that had led to him being bedridden. "That Auror hit you with that hex - I thought they weren't allowed to use it on humans - and you blacked out. I took out the remaining Aurors and Apparated us in the city. This lady stopped and I asked her to take us to the hospital. I passed out before I saw where we arrived," he recounted in a dry tone.

Bellatrix mulled over the information in silence for a few moments. Why had he helped her? He could have left her to die there, and escape on his own. He was definitely not as injured as she was, if he had managed to Apparate them both and then talk with a Muggle. _If she was a Muggle at all_. The fact that their money and wands were still in their possession could mean that the woman knew about the wizarding world, or was a witch herself.

"What if she betrays us?" she asked suddenly.

Harry looked taken aback for a moment before he shrugged. "We fight. We still have our wands, after all." _And if they get me, I'm taking down as many as I can._

"Fight, eh?" Bellatrix echoed. "I'm not going to be captured alive, Potter. Not if I can help it. Death is easier than anything that awaits me, no matter who catches me."

He nodded with a grim smile. They lapsed in silence once again, although Bellatrix opened her mouth to speak a few times, only to stop as the emerald eyes of her former enemy glanced at her.

"Potter, why did you save my life?" she asked after several such attempts.

He looked surprised for a second, before leaning forward and acquiring a thoughtful expression. "You saved my life as well," he pointed out. "Besides, I can kill in cold blood, but leaving somebody to bleed to death is not something I want to live with," he explained, his voice dropping to a whisper at the last words.

She nodded, feeling the respect she held for Potter go up a notch. "I-" she started, prepared to mock him out of habit, only to shut her mouth before she could say anything. After a few seconds, she sighed. "Thank you," she said in a soft tone of voice that barely carried across the room to him. He nodded mutely.

The two of them spent a few minutes lost in thought before noises could be heard outside the door, and it swung open to admit the woman that had taken them in her car. She was wearing a white robe that had seen better days, and carried two trays heaped with food.

"Well, I see yer finally awake," she said, setting a tray on each of their beds. "Took a righ' good beatin', the both 'f ye," she continued.

Bellatrix eyed the cheerful woman with distrust, keeping her wand pointed towards her. For her part, the woman seemed content to stand in the center of the room, ready for whatever their reaction would be.

"Who are you?" Bellatrix asked. "Why are we here? Where are we?" she continued.

The woman glanced at Harry, who had his wand trained on her as well. She gave a small shrug and walked to lean against the wall opposite the now closed door. "My name is Linda McDougall. I was going home two days ago, when he stopped me, asking for a hospital," she said, motioning to Harry. "James," she went on, missing the look Bellatrix threw Harry, "passed out when I got to the hospital, and when I turned to help 'im, I saw 'is wand. I knew then that the Muggle hospital wouldn't help yeh properly, and took yeh here."

"Where exactly is 'here'?" Harry asked. Waving his wand over his food and the picking up the glass of milk and taking a large gulp. While Linda spoke, he began munching on the slightly burnt toast.

"My home," Linda said slowly, eying the wand in Bellatrix hand with trepidation. "I'm a Squib," she said quickly, pushing away from the wall and pacing in the small space between the two beds.

Harry raised an eyebrow but did not comment, preferring to chew. Bellatrix had no such reservations. Swallowing hastily, she addressed the woman. "How come you have this room in your home, Mrs. McDougall?" she asked, making an effort to keep her tone light and not simply curse the answers out of the woman. It came surprisingly easy, and she made a mental note to talk to Harry about what exactly he had done to her.

Linda squirmed under their gazes. "I am good with potions, and I brew some, and sometimes somebody needs ta spend the nigh'," she explained, wringing her hands.

Harry smiled and nodded. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mrs. McDougall," he said, sending a warning glance to Bellatrix. The woman visibly relaxed when Bellatrix gave a strained smile.

The two of them spent a few hours asking their hot questions, eventually resolving that she had no idea who they were. She harvested all her ingredients herself, and didn't keep up with the wizarding news. The two fugitives shared a glance at that.

"Mrs. McDougall-" Bellatrix began hesitantly.

"Yes, Ms. White?" she replied cheerfully.

"If we paid you for your effort, would we be able to take lodging in this room while we recover?" Harry asked, having guessed Bellatrix's intentions. With no contact with the other wizards, the lady would help them and gain money. Everybody won, in Harry's opinion.

Linda wrung her hands before she hesitantly nodded. Harry grinned at her, and they quickly set to talking about their treatment and schedule.


End file.
